India News | Hry Cong Holds Show of Strength as Newly Appointed President, 3 Working Presidents Assume Charge
Get latest articles and stories on India at LatestLY. Dalit leader Udai Bhan on Wednesday formally took charge as the Haryana Congress chief along with three working presidents, after a nearly 11-hour road show from Sonipat to Chandigarh, which saw a large turnout of party supporters and people.
Chandigarh, May 4 (PTI) Dalit leader Udai Bhan on Wednesday formally took charge as the Haryana Congress chief along with three working presidents, after a nearly 11-hour road show from Sonipat to Chandigarh, which saw a large turnout of party supporters and people.
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Senior party leaders, including former chief minister Bhupinder Singh Hooda, his son and Rajya Sabha MP Deepender Singh Hooda, accompanied 67-year-old Bhan from Delhi to Chandigarh.
As their motorcade crossed into Haryana from Delhi, it was welcomed by Congress workers in large numbers along the route to Chandigarh in a show of strength by the party's state unit.
Haryana Congress workers had organised welcome events along the route, delaying Bhan and the other leaders' scheduled arrival here at 4 pm by nearly four hours.
The Congress had last month revamped its Haryana unit, by appointing former legislator and Bhupinder Hooda loyalist Bhan as its chief to replace Kumari Selja, and by naming four working presidents.
Former chief minister late Bansi Lal's granddaughter Shruti Choudhary, Ram Kishan Gujjar, Jitender Kumar Bhardwaj and Suresh Gupta have been appointed working presidents.
Addressing the media here late in the evening along with Bhupinder Hooda and Bhan, Congress leader and party Haryana affairs in-charge Vivek Bansal said that Shruti Choudhary could not come as she has contracted the Covid.
Outgoing state chief Selja, Congress general secretary Randeep Singh Surjewala, senior leaders Kuldeep Bishnoi and Capt Ajay Singh Yadav were not present when the new team formally assumed charge at the Haryana Congress headquarters here.
Most of the party's MLAs in the state were present on the occasion.
On Selja's absence, Bansal said she waited for a long time at the Haryana Pradesh Congress Committee office but as the function got delayed she left as she had to catch a flight.
About Surjewala, Bansal said that he was preoccupied with the party's upcoming Chintan Shivir preparations while Ajay Yadav had some pre-fixed engagements. About Bishnoi, he said he could not come due to some reason.
Bishnoi, the younger son of former Haryana chief minister late Bhajan Lal, had lobbied hard for a key role in the state unit, but he did not find any position in the new appointments made by the party
On Surjewala recently saying Bishnoi would have been the best Haryana Congress president, Bansal said he meant that he too would have been a good choice.
Replying to a question, Bansal said he was hopeful that the new team will work with coordination, like a well-oiled machine, and live up to the expectations of the people.
Bansal and Bhupinder Hooda said that unemployment is at its peak in the state and the youth are disillusioned with the policies of the BJP-JJP government.
Talking about the welcome received from Congress workers and people, Bhupinder Hooda said they showed "tremendous enthusiasm". This shows that people are eagerly waiting for the next (assembly) polls to throw out the BJP-led dispensation, he said.
"Farmers, labourers, employees, youth, every section is fed up with this government and they see Congress as the only alternative," said Bhupinder Hooda, who is Leader of the Opposition in Haryana.
"Today, Haryana is number one in unemployment, corruption is rampant, there have been so many scams... Thousands of government posts are vacant, but they are not giving jobs. The state is reeling under power crisis," he said, while adding "Haryana which used to be number one during Congress' time on various developmental parameters has fallen behind now".
Replying to a question, BhupinderHooda said soon a strong organisational structure of the Haryana Congress will be set up. The entire Congress is united and there is no factionalism in the state unit, he asserted.
Bhan said that prices of fuel and essential commodities, construction material have skyrocketed, which has adversely affected common sections.
"Haryana which used to be at the top in all developmental parameters has fallen behind. In 2014, Haryana's debt was Rs 60,000 crore which has risen to nearly Rs 3 lakh crore, but still no development is visible on the ground," he said.
"People are fed up with this government. We are hopeful that Congress will form the next government in the state with an overwhelming majority," Bhan claimed.
Bhupinder Hooda and Bhan said that unlike Punjab, AAP will not be able to make much foothold in Haryana, where Congress will remain the "only viable alternative".
Replying to a question, Bhupinder Hooda said that the party has been fighting the election of Municipal Corporation on party symbol, but regarding the upcoming Municipal Council and Municipal Committee elections the party will decide, he added.
(The above story is verified and authored by Press Trust of India (PTI) staff. PTI, India’s premier news agency, employs more than 400 journalists and 500 stringers to cover almost every district and small town in India.. The views appearing in the above post do not reflect the opinions of LatestLY)